A Nosey Parker Cozy Mystery. Fiona Leitch

Читать онлайн.
Название A Nosey Parker Cozy Mystery
Автор произведения Fiona Leitch
Жанр Ужасы и Мистика
Серия A Nosey Parker Cozy Mystery
Издательство Ужасы и Мистика
Год выпуска 0
isbn 9780008436551



Скачать книгу

      ‘Hmm,’ I said non-committally, sipping at my drink.

      ‘You don’t like my wife-to-be much, do you?’ he said.

      ‘I hardly know her.’ I was painfully aware that was the exact thing I’d said to Mel. He laughed.

      ‘That’s not a no, is it?’ He stared out of the window for a moment then turned back to me. ‘I know Cheryl can be a bit…’ What? A bit of a fricking nightmare? ‘A bit high maintenance. But she’s not had an easy life.’

      I thought about the things I’d gone through over the last few years.

      ‘Lots of us have had a hard life—’ I started.

      ‘She lost her parents when she was fifteen.’ Oh crap. ‘That’s how she ended up with her uncle. I don’t know what her parents were like – they didn’t live round here – but her uncle and his lot…’ Tony shook his head and lowered his voice. ‘They’re not very nice people. So cut her some slack, yeah?’ He touched me gently on the arm. ‘I’m glad you’re back, Jodie. I’d really like you and Cheryl to be friends. Will you try?’

      ‘Of course,’ I said. And I meant it, for him.

      I finished my drink and left the bar. Should I go up and talk to Cheryl? Part of me wanted nothing more than to just go home and relieve my mum of her babysitting duties – Daisy liked to think she was a grown-up, but she was still only twelve – but the concerned (or nosey) part of me thought that maybe I should pop up and check on her.

      I stood outside her room, hesitating. Maybe I shouldn’t disturb her if she wanted an early night. But I could hear movement – a lot of movement – from the other side of the door. So I knocked.

      There was silence. To my mind it was a guilty silence – like someone had been caught doing something they shouldn’t. Don’t ask me how a silence can be guilty, but it can. I just have this instinct…

      Just as I was becoming convinced she wouldn’t answer the door, she did, opening it a crack. She had a smile on her face which dropped as soon as she saw me.

      ‘Oh, it’s you,’ she said.

      ‘Just checking that you’re all right after that little incident earlier,’ I said sweetly. I can do sweet.

      ‘I’m fine,’ she said. Through the crack in the door I could see a suitcase on the bed with a mess of clothes half in and half out.

      ‘Getting everything ready for your big day?’ I said. ‘Packing for the honeymoon?’

      ‘Yes,’ she said, attempting to close the door a little tighter. I had a horrible feeling that packing wasn’t what she was doing.

      ‘Look, we may have got off on the wrong foot,’ I said. ‘If you want to talk—’

      ‘Not really.’

      ‘Okay.’ I was relieved. ‘Tony’s a really good guy, you know. He deserves to be happy.’

      Her face dropped. Uh oh.

      ‘I know he does.’

      ‘So if you’ve got any doubts…’

      She looked at me for a few seconds, then plastered on a fake smile.

      ‘No doubts at all,’ she said. ‘Thank you for your concern.’ And with that she shut the door in my face.

      I went home and went to bed, first looking in on Daisy, who had given up waiting up for me and gone to bed, and on my mum, who was staying in the spare room. I’d mentioned her moving in with us permanently as she was getting on a bit and I worried about her being on her own (especially since she’d been diagnosed with angina a few months ago, which had helped persuade me now was a good time to move back), but she’d been almost indecently hasty to reject that idea, saying that she valued her privacy and she could hardly bring a man home if her daughter and granddaughter were there.

      I turned the light off and stared at the ceiling before finally falling into a restless sleep. My dreams were filled with 80s hairstyles, rugby tackles, and dickheads in Ralph Lauren, and somewhere in the middle of it Tony saying he’d deliver the sofa tomorrow. Except of course he wouldn’t because it already had pride of place in my living room and tomorrow was his wedding day.

      I woke the next morning and saw the text from the groom, and in my sleep-fuddled state I thought, He’s arranging a time to deliver the sofa.

      When I opened it, I was unsurprised to read that the bride had disappeared.

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4QAYRXhpZgAASUkqAAgAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP/sABFEdWNreQABAAQAAABQAAD/4QODaHR0cDov L25zLmFkb2JlLmNvbS94YXAvMS4wLwA8P3hwYWNrZXQgYmVnaW49Iu+7vyIgaWQ9Ilc1TTBNcENl aGlIenJlU3pOVGN6a2M5ZCI/PiA8eDp4bXBtZXRhIHhtbG5zOng9ImFkb2JlOm5zOm1ldGEvIiB4 OnhtcHRrPSJBZG9iZSBYTVAgQ29yZSA1LjAtYzA2MSA2NC4xNDA5NDksIDIwMTAvMTIvMDctMTA6 NTc6MDEgICAgICAgICI+IDxyZGY6UkRGIHhtbG5zOnJkZj0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMTk5 OS8wMi8yMi1yZGYtc3ludGF4LW5zIyI+IDxyZGY6RGVzY3JpcHRpb24gcmRmOmFib3V0PSIiIHht bG5zOnhtcE1NPSJodHRwOi8vbnMuYWRvYmUuY29tL3hhcC8xLjAvbW0vIiB4bWxuczpzdFJlZj0i aHR0cDovL25zLmFkb2JlLmNvbS94YXAvMS4wL3NUeXBlL1Jlc291cmNlUmVmIyIgeG1sbnM6eG1w PSJodHRwOi8vbnMuYWRvYmUuY29tL3hhcC8xLjAvIiB4bXBNTTpPcmlnaW5hbERvY3VtZW50SUQ9 InhtcC5kaWQ6RjU2MzUxRDcwRDIwNjgxMTgyMkFCRjAzMkIzRkQ5RjEiIHhtcE1NOkRvY3VtZW50 SUQ9InhtcC5kaWQ6MkUzOTIyOTUwNTVCMTFFQkExMjg5MjIwMTIwQzE4MUUiIHhtcE1NOkluc3Rh bmNlSUQ9InhtcC5paWQ6MkUzOTIyOTQwNTVCMTFFQkExMjg5MjIwMTIwQzE4MUUiIHhtcDpDcmVh dG9yVG9vbD0iQWRvYmUgUGhvdG9zaG9wIENTNS4xIE1hY2ludG9zaCI+IDx4bXBNTTpEZXJpdmVk RnJvbSBzdFJlZjppbnN0YW5jZUlEPSJ4bXAuaWlkOjRDRUREN0E5MDgyMDY4MTE4QTZERkVDRjIz QjVBMEREIiBzdFJlZjpkb2N1bWVudElEPSJhZG9iZTpkb2NpZDpwaG90b3Nob3A6YjE1NzA0Yjct ODQ4YS05MDQxLTg1YjUtMWUzZjQ2NDI1YTU1Ii8+IDwvcmRmOkRlc2NyaXB0aW9uPiA8L3JkZjpS REY+IDwveDp4bXBtZXRhPiA8P3hwYWNrZXQgZW5kPSJyIj8+/+IMWElDQ19QUk9GSUxFAAEBAAAM SExpbm8CEAAAbW50clJHQiBYWVogB84AAgAJAAYAMQAAYWNzcE1TRlQAAAAASUVDIHNSR0IAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAEAAPbWAAEAAAAA0y1IUCAgAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARY3BydAAAAVAAAAAzZGVzYwAAAYQAAABsd3RwdAAAAfAAAAAUYmtwd